The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Maoists strike terror

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 08, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Maoists strike terror

Staff Reporter

Meticulously planned raid on police station; attackers cross over into Bastar?

KUKUNOOR (KHAMMAM DT): Maoists literally overran the Kukunoor police station late on Monday night. A lone constable on duty ran for his life as naxalites approached it after cutting power supply to the village. They fired about 20 rounds and predictably there was no retaliation.

After seeing that there was no one at the police station the naxalites went to the houses of the assistant sub-inspector and a constable. But both of them were out of station.

The naxalites asked for the whereabouts of the ASI. They thrashed his children, but failed to get any information.

They went back to the police station with a bagful of explosives and blasted it. Some 60 members took part in the raid. They descended on Kukunoor from different directions in four autos and a tractor.

Some women activists also took part in the raid. They were suspected to be from the neighbouring pockets in Chhattisgarh,

Chief operative

The entire operation was spearheaded by Suryam alias Saleem who shouldered the responsibility of strengthening the organisation in areas bordering Chhatisgarh and Orissa. The attack was meticulously planned and executed when half the personnel, including the Station House Officer, V. Sambharaju, were away.

They were yet to report to the station after attending the bandobust duty at the Chief Minister's programme in Kusumanchi on Sunday. Four constables were on leave. One more constable, Sudhakar, had gone for dinner a few minutes before the attack.

Ramu, the only constable left on duty, could sight the armed naxalites approaching the station. He climbed down the building and made a desperate dash for the village. Weapons from the police station were withdrawn a few years ago as the station was prone to naxalite attack. The naxalites blasted a lorry coming from Burgumpadu. They also torched autorickshaw coming in the same direction. They fired at a car by mistaking it for a police vehicle, injuring the driver.

The naxalites addressed villagers after blasting the police station building.

They blamed the Government for the failure of talks. The peace process was scuttled deliberately, they said.

They abandoned the tractor they had come by at Vinjaram village.

SP visits station

The Superintendent of Police, Bhavana Saxena, reached the station in the early hours. The police sealed all routes connecting Bhadrachalam, Burgumpadu and Aswaraopet. But the naxalites reportedly slipped into Bastar by crossing the Godavari.The IG, Ish Kumar, and the DIG (Warangal range), B. L. Meena, also visited the police station.

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